Shades by Barielle Summer 2009 Sugar Rush Collection

Eek! I am so excited about the new Shades by Barielle Sugar Rush collection for Summer 2009! This collection is aptly named because when I look at these colors they really do make me think of candy. The new Sugar Rush Collection has six pretty candy colored hues to satisfy your mani-pedi cravings with on-trend, fashionable nail color. I am so glad to see that companies like Barielle are taking risks and releasing fun and bright colors like this! This collection will definitely satisfy non-traditional polish consumers. 

Shades by Barielle Cotton Candy:

Barielle Cotton Candy is a medium toned pink with a subtle magenta shimmer. This color really reminds me of Zoya Barbie. This is the only one in the bunch that needed three coats. 

Shades by Barielle Swizzle Stix:

Barielle Swizzle Stix is hands down my favorite in this collection. It is a robin's egg blue that is slightly more vibrant than the real thing. I love love love this color!

Shades by Barielle Grape Escape:

Barielle Grape Escape is a gorgeous purple creme. I don't have many purple cremes so this is a welcome addition to my stash. Grape Escape reminds me of Sally Hansen Night Hydrangea (Spring 2009) minus the shimmer. Purple shades that actually look purple in all lights are hard to come by, so this is a must for you purple lovers. 

Shades by Barielle Lemondrops:

Barielle Lemondrops is a vibrant yellow creme. There is nothing muted about it but it really isn't neon either. This color looks so good, I want to eat it! That is because it reminds me of my favorite candy - yellow Sprees! The only thing this manicure is missing is some smiley faces a la Rihanna style. 

Shades by Barielle Sweet Addiction:

Barielle Sweet Addiction is a minty green creme that reminds me of chewing gum. Another fabulous color!

Shades by Barielle Decadence:

Barielle Decadence is a shimmery blue/green/turquoise color. This color is so gorgeous! It really glows.

Application of all colors in this collection was fabulous. Some of them were a little on the thick side but none were problematic. All of the colors were extremely pigmented. The only one that I thought could have used three coats was Cotton Candy. The others were totally opaque with two coats. Most were opaque on even the first coat. Again, I applaud Barielle for this fabulous collection! Each color is unique and wonderful. 

The Shades by Barielle Sugar Rush collection for Summer 2009 is available now at Barielle.com. The nail polishes retail for $8.00 each. But right now they are offering free shipping for orders over $50 and if you buy 2 colors you get the 3rd one free! I'd buy these soon because I don't know how long the promo will last. 

China Glaze Summer Days for Summer 2009

They are here! THE summer collection of the year - China Glaze Summer Days. These polishes are spectacularly beautiful. This is only collection that I have seen in a while where all of the colors are truly must haves. On to the swatches! Oh, one small disclaimer before these swatches. I have yet to see any photographs of these polishes that accurately capture the amazing FIRE that these babies put out. My photographs are no exception. While they are color accurate, you just will not understand how truly amazing they are until you try them. The shimmer and fire from the glass fleck like glitter is just amazing. Now, on to the swatches, really!

China Glaze Raspberry Festival:

Raspberry Fields is a pinkish red with magenta and silver glitter. It really does not remind me of raspberries, which incidentally are my favorite fruit. But who really cares about the name when it is this gorgeous?

China Glaze Watermelon Rind:

Watermelon Rind has a green/teal base with silver, green and blue glitter. This is freaking stunning. 

China Glaze Cherry Pie:

Cherry Pie is a slightly orange toned red with magenta and silver glitter. This shade reminds me of candy for some reason.

China Glaze Grape Juice:

Grape Juice is a purple with silver and purple glitter. The glitter in this one has a very iridescent feel outside in the sun. It certainly is juicy! This is tied with Watermelon Rind for my favorite shade in the collection. 

China Glaze Strawberry Fields:

Strawberry Fields is a deep pink with gold shimmer. This one is particularly glossy looking!

China Glaze Orange Marmalade:

Last but not least, Orange Marmalade. You guys know how I feel about orange nail polish. I think it is really pretty but just not on me. It just does nothing for my skin tone! But this shade is still super gorgeous. Orange with gold and orange shimmer. If you are an orange lover, you won't be disappointed with this one.

Wow! Aren't these amazingly gorgeous? They are all so juicy looking. Like I said earlier though, the brilliance of fire of these in real life is so much more amazing than my pictures. Application was top notch, smooth, and quick drying. All swatches were three coats. Two coats is nice but three coats make these look spectacular!

China Glaze Summer Days for Summer 2009 officially launches in March but sometimes the etailers get these early, so keep your eyes peeled! These will *fly* off of the shelves.

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2009

It's that time again! Time for another fabulous collaboration between designer Tracy Reese and Sally Hansen. These nail polishes in the Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2009 collection are so hot! I love each and every one of them. They are super pigmented and a joy to apply. Enough babble, on to the swatches!

Sally Hansen Azalea:

Azalea is a gorgeous pink creme. This swatch is two coats. For me, this is definitely a fabulous summer pedicure color.

Sally Hansen Forsythia:

Forsythia is a yellow shimmer. This is so pretty! There is something very oddball about this color but I am so in love with it. It reminds me of lemons. This is one of those colors that I want to eat! I don't know how well this color suits my skin tone, but it is so cool that I don't care. I will totally wear this all summer long!

Sally Hansen Nasturtium:

Nasturtium is a fabulous orange creme. I have heard this color called coral. I don't think there is anything coral about it personally. It is orange. I don't really think this color suits me but I still think it is really pretty. I'll also say that most oranges are a streaky hot mess to apply but this one applied perfectly, like butter.

Sally Hansen Honeydew:

Honeydew is a green/teal shimmer. It is nice to finally see that nail polish companies are recognizing the need for some funkier colors in their seasonal collections. I personally love to wear anything blue or green. So this is right up my alley! This color is 100 times prettier in person than in this picture.

Sally Hansen Night Hydrangea:

Night Hydrangea is another color that is 100 times prettier in person. This is the perfect purple shimmer. I don't mind blackened shades. I actually quite like them. But sometimes you just want a purple that looks purple. This is it! The purple that looks purple in all lighting situations.

Sally Hansen Tassel:

Tassel is a metallic gold. This was the only one of the bunch that required three coats. I love that Tracy threw a metallic in the mix for spring. It is fun and unexpected!

There is one more color in this collection - Beet Stain. I have no idea where it is... It's very similar to OPI Miami Beet and Zoya Moxie.

Did you guys notice my short nails in these pictures? I broke the corner off of my index finger so they got filed down. In the winter it is so hard to keep them in good shape! The air is just so dry. Oh well, they have been growing like weeds lately.

Back to the nail polish banter now. Like I said, application on all of these colors was superb. Tassel was the only three coater of the bunch. The others were perfectly opaque with two coats. My only complaint, if you can even call it that, is about the brushes. There is nothing wrong with them per se, but they are a bit long in my opinion. It is really just a matter of my personal preference. My preference is for a shorter brush. I just find it easier to control the polish with a shorter brush. Other than that, these babies are perfect!

The Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2009 collection is set to hit stores late February/early March. Distribution of these special collections is notoriously bad; so keep your eyes WIDE OPEN for them and snatch them up as soon as you see them! They'll be gone before you know it.

More from BB Couture for Nails

Today I have more from BB Couture for Nails to share with you. I have one brand new shade, one that is new to me, two that you've seen here before but I tried to get better pictures of and a few old favorites.

First, the brand new shade, BB Couture for Nails Midnight Desire:

Super dark blue/purple shimmer. This is one of those shades that looks nearly black indoors but then outdoors it is super gorgeous. At first I thought this might be dupeish to Chanel Vendetta but it is not. This is more noticeably blue than Vendetta, which is way more purple. I would have done a comparison swatch if I thought it was warranted, but it isn't. I am wearing Midnight Desire right now and I absolutely love it! I never get tired of shades like this. Midnight desire is extremely opaque with one coat but I used two for good measure.

Next, the shade that is new to me, BB Couture for Nails Dragon's Breath:

Purple/plum jelly with glitter. LOVE this color! This swatch is three coats. I love jelly based glitters like this because they have amazing depth. I love how the glitter looks almost like it is trapped deep under the layers of polish, almost like it is suspended in jello or something. Am I making sense at all?

Finally, the shades you have seen here before but that I tried to get better pictures of.

BB Couture for Nails Sea of Cortez:

BB Couture for Nails Frosty Meadow:

I tried to get better pictures of these jelly based stunners. Hopefully it worked! For you girls out there that appreciate the funkier colors, both of these are *must* haves. I think these blue an green shades are absolutely perfect. Just stunning.

Since we are on the subject of BB Couture for Nails, I thought I'd also show you a few of my old favorites.

BB Couture for Nails Poison Ivy:

BB Couture for Nails Maleficent Magenta:

BB Couture for Nails nail polishes can be purchased at Overall Beauty. Also, if there are any shades that you see on my blog but that you can't find at Overall Beauty, you can also contact BB Couture for Nails directly via phone or email (info on their website) and they will sell them to you directly.

New Colors from BB Couture for Nails!

*dead* 

I seriously almost dropped dead when I saw these gorgeous new colors from BB Couture for Nails. For those of you that are not familiar with this awesome brand, I suggest checking out these other posts of mine to see some other colors. Wait until you are done with this post of course :)

OK, so on to the hot new colors. My pictures do not do them justice. I sometimes find that when I take pictures late in the afternoon that the sun is too bright. The colors are right on but what these pictures do not capture is the awesome glitter. It is really nice and flashy, almost iridescent, without being overly blingy. I will photograph these again next week in the morning or early afternoon sun to see if I can get a better result for you. As a reminder, you can always click my pictures to make them huge.

BB Couture for Nails Frosty Meadow:

BB Couture for Nails already holds the title of making my #1 green nail polish - Poison Ivy. I think that Frosty Meadow *might* tie it! Frosty Meadow is a green jelly with glitter. The glitter appears to be silver and goldish green. This picture does not show how beautiful the glitter is but it does show how great the color is.

BB Couture for Nails Sea of Cortez:

Holy hotness! Sea of Cortez is a light blue jelly with the same glitter as Frosty Meadow. I love this blue so much! This color is so pretty. I don't have anything in my stash that is even remotely similar to this. That goes for Frosty Meadow too.

Application for these is spot on, just like all of my other polishes from BB Couture for Nails. These swatches are three coats of color but they are jellies so it is totally worth it! I have been praying for some fabulous jelly based glitters and BB Couture for Nails answered! How did they know?

I have two more fun colors from BB Couture for Nails that I'll be bringing you next week.

These new colors are available at Overall Beauty and they retail for $8.00 each. These super unique colors are worth every penny! 

NOTD and My Kids

Hello Readers!

I hope everyone is having a great day so far. Today I have so much to do today so this post is going to be a quickie. I have to go shopping for an outfit to wear to my BF's work Christmas party which is happening this Saturday at a night club in downtown San Diego. I have no idea what I want to wear. 

Now that we are getting into the winter months it is always interesting shopping for clothes here. All of the stores are featuring fall and winter clothes yet it is still semi-warm here. In the evening it does cool off a bit though, so something warmer will be acceptable. 

I have not had to dress up for anything in nearly six months. One of the things that I love about living where I do is how casual and laid back everyone is. It is perfectly acceptable to wear my black Lululemon pants, flip flops, and a t-shirt to about 99% of the places I go. Well not this Saturday, so I had better get shopping!

Anyways, today I am wearing China Glaze Emerald Sparkle:

This is the most AH-MAZ-ING color! Deep, dark, sparkly green. I am in love.

Since I did not plan a very interesting post for you today, I thought that I would take this opportunity to introduce you to my kids, my fur kids that is.

Cleo:

Relaxing with her OPI bear on her favorite sofa. Cleo has very good taste and prefers the Henredon sofa over any of the others.

Vincent:

In bed, as usual. He is the lazier one of the two and is an expert relaxer.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Cleo & Vincent because I know they enjoyed meeting you! They have been asking me when they would get to make an appearance on e-polishblog. They want to be famous :)

Ok, I am off now. Off to clean the house and do some major shopping!! I might take a stroll down the beach too if I have time. See you soon!

xoxo,

Katee

p.s. If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, do it! I am giving away a bottle of Essie Pama nail polish.

China Glaze Romantique Spring 2009 Nail Polish Swatches!!

Hello, dear readers!

WOW, yesterday felt like Christmas for me when the Fed Ex man dropped these off! I am super excited to be able to share with you the China Glaze Spring 2009 collection: Romantique. Today I will be sharing the cool shades with you and then later this week I will share the warm colors with you. The Romantique collection is nothing short of AH-MAZ-ING!!

China Glaze Romantique: Cool Shades

(l to r, Joy, Adore, Harmony, Devotion, Cherish, Awaken)

China Glaze Joy:

Gorgeous icy plum loaded with silver shimmer. Stunning.

Indoors (natural light):

Outdoors (full sun):

China Glaze Adore:

Cool turquoise - like blue. Loving this too!

Indoor (artificial light):

Outdoor (full sun):

China Glaze Harmony:

Gorgeous shimmering Violet. 

Indoor (artificial light):

Outdoor (full sun):

China Glaze Devotion:

Shimmering metallic lavender. This one was the problem child as far as photography goes. The lavender base color is so loaded with shimmer that it was impossible to capture the lavender. But in person, it really is lavender! 

Indoors (artificial light):

Outdoors (full sun):

China Glaze Cherish:

Gorgeous sea foam green shimmer. Unfortunately another photographic problem child. I think it looks gold in these pictures but it is definitely NOT gold. It is sea foam green and it is beautiful!

Indoors (natural light):

Outdoors (full sun):

China Glaze Awaken:

Metallic charcoal shimmer. Stunning!

Indoors:

Outdoors (full sun):

Joy and Awaken are my two favorites from the collection, but all of them are really beautiful.

These colors are so loaded with silver shimmer, they look metallic inside and then outside in the sun they are super blingy, and have a foil like finish. AMAZING!!

All swatches are two coats of nail polish over a base coat, no top coat. All of these nail polishes went on very opaque at one coat. The formula was very smooth and as long as I took my time applying them I did not have any brush stroke issues, which can be a problem with metallics. 

So which colors are you feeling the need for? Let me know in the comments (I live for your comments)!

Remember to check back later because I will have the warm colors for you to see in a few days (I have them now, just have to swatch them).

I believe that China Glaze Romantique should be available online and in stores January 2009. I will let you know if and when I hear anything different.

See you soon and THANK YOU for reading!

xoxo,

Katee

p.s. Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Scroll down to yesterdays entry.

BB Couture for Nails: Official Product Review!

Good morning ladies!

I love it when I discover a brand that is 'new to me'. You know what I mean, right? Not 'new', just 'new to me'. If BB Couture for Nails is also 'new to you', then you are in for a real treat! Today I am going to be sharing with you six of their nail polishes that I just had the pleasure of trying.  

All of my swatches are two coats unless noted and without a top coat. Also, they are in no particular order. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

First up, BB Couture for Nails Great Balls of Fire:

Is it reddish orange or orangish red? I can't tell. But it is a unique and fun shade that is packed with small glitter. This shade has a jelly finish and is the only one of the bunch that took 3 coats to reach opacity. Shades like this do not typically flatter my skin tone but I can see this looking really nice on ladies with a darker skin tone than me.

Next, BB Couture for Nails Lindsey's Spell:

This is a really sexy nail color that looks like a deep red but then outside it almost takes on a fuchsia tone. It is a cream polish that also has an extremely glossy finish. For someone that is not that into reds, I think that this one has made me a convert. I love it!

Next, BB Couture for Nails Poison Ivy:

Oh my God, I love this green polish. I have been on the eternal search for the perfect, wearable, green cream and I just found it. This nail color was nearly opaque at one coat but I used two for good measure. I think the picture speaks for itself. This color is amazing!

BB Couture for Nails Tutti Frutti:

This is a really fun color! I classify it as Barbie pink with a slight blue shimmer or iridescence that runs through it. I took two pictures of this one for you - one to show the color and one where I tried to capture the iridescence for you. If you click to enlarge the second picture you can definitely see the blue shimmer.

BB Couture for Nails Blue Suede Shoes:

This is a cornflower blue shimmer. Another really fun color! I have a feelings that there are going to be a bunch of cravings for this one.

Last, but certainly not least, BB Couture for Nails Maleficent Magenta:

This is a stunning purple nail color with multi color shimmer. Absolutely gorgeous! This swatch has a top coat of Seche Vite on it. Not because it wasn't already glossy enough, but because I wanted to wear this color as a mani for a few days to test the wear. After two days of wear, and lots of typing away at my MacBook, I have minimal tip wear and NO chips! That is pretty darn good in my book.

All of these polishes are extremely glossy even without a top coat. So imagine what adding a coat of your favorite shiny top coat would do! No complaints to report in the application department either, they went on smooth like butter. All BB Couture for Nails polishes are free of toluene, formaldehyde and DBT. So all around, these are winners!

I have to tell you that I also love the handle on the polish bottles. It is just the right length, not too fat and not too skinny. Have you ever bought a bottle of nail polish and found the handle awkward to hold? Well not these. I wish all nail polish bottles had these handles.

BB Couture for Nails nail polish retails for $8.95 and you can purchase them on line at bbnailpolish.com and at overallbeauty.com. 

I have 6 more bottles of BB Couture for Nails in my stash... guess what I'll be testing for you later this week?!

Ok, so have I created any cravings with this post? Let me know in the comments!  I've created major cravings in me for other nail colors in their collection like Icy Plum, Hollywood Junk, Dragons Breath and Cappuccino Maddness to name a few. 

That is all for now. I look forward to reading your comments (I love when you leave them for me). Thanks for reading and I'll see you back here soon!

Laura Mercier Nail Polish: Review & Swatches

Good morning readers! I hope that everyone had a lovely weekend. 

Today I am sharing with you three Laura Mercier Nail Polishes that I just added to my collection: Champagne Wishes, Avant Garde and Caviar Dreams. Do you think that someone at Laura Mercier was watching "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" when they named these colors? I can hear Robin Leach right now saying "Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams"! LOL

First, Champagne Wishes, a pretty and shimmery white frost. Frost finish nail polishes are known to have application issues with brush stroke marks and cuticle drag and this one was no different for me. This nail color requires a very steady hand to apply perfectly. But that does not change that this is a very pretty and very wearable color. Light colors like this are not usually my thing but I will definitely reach for this color on occasions when a lighter polish color is more appropriate than a dark and vampy one. These swatches are two coats of polish and without a top coat. Just click the pictures to see them bigger if you like.

Laura Mercier Champagne Wishes Swatch (indoor artificial light):

Laura Mercier Champagne Wishes Swatch (outside sun):

Next, Avant Garde, a gorgeous and shimmery eggplant. I was surprised by the application on this one because it was also a bit uneven on me and this did not look like the kind of color that would be. It evened out for me perfectly though at three coats. I am not particularly bothered by this because I am a habitual three coater anyways when it comes to doing my own manicures. Something else that surprised me about this nail color is that Avant Garde is almost an exact dupe for OPI Lincoln Park at Midnight! Comparison swatches are also part of this review. The following swatches are three coats of Avant Garde and without a top coat.

Laura Mercier Avant Garde Swatch (indoor artificial light):

Laura Mercier Avant Garde Swatch (outside sun):

Another Avant Garde Swatch (outside sun):

Finally, I saved the best for last: Caviar Dreams, a charcoal based, green and purple shimmery duochrome. This nail color is an absolute stunner! The purple properties of this color are more visible indoors and the green properties of this color are more noticeable outside in the sun. It is so unique, I can honestly say that I have never seen anything like it before. Every fashionista should pick up this color, it is super trendy and it is fabulous for the fall and winter. I had no application issues with this nail color. The swatches are two coats of polish and without a top coat.

Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams Swatch (indoor artificial light):

Another indoor swatch:

Laura Mercier Caviar Dreams Swatch (outdoors sun):

Now that you have seen the swatches, just a pesky little issue I have with these polishes: the brush handle. Typically when you see a big, chunky handle like this, it comes off to reveal a smaller and more user friendly handle underneath (like Chanel). Well not this one; and it was not particularly easy for me to figure out how to hold it correctly. Of course I figured it out though. I will also say that I do like the Laura Mercier brush. It worked well for the size and shape of my nail beds.

Laura Mercier nail polish is available online at Laura Mercier and Sephora. They are .35 oz (smaller than OPI at .5 oz) and retail for $15 each (a little pricey for the size if you ask me). If Caviar Dreams is out of stock, do not despair, it WILL come back in stock! Do not go to eBay and pay the highway robbery, marked up prices!!

Comparison swatches of AG and LPAM:

When I said that LPAM was almost an exact dupe for AG I said 'almost' because indoors under artificial light you can see (barely) that the shimmer in AG is more silver toned than that of LPAM. You can see really see this when holding the two nail polish bottles together and it is also (barely) noticeable on the nail.

LPAM is on my index finger (screen left) and AG is on my middle finger (screen right). 

Indoors:

I can see in these first two swatches that the shimmer in Avant Garde is a little more on the silver side than that of Lincoln Park at Midnight.

Outside:

So what do you think, can you tell the difference between Avant Garde and Lincoln Park at Midnight?

Well that is all for today. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you back here tomorrow on ELECTION DAY!! No matter which candidate you support, it is so important to vote. I look at voting as both a right, but also a privilege. So like I said, not matter which candidate you support, GET OUT THERE AND VOTE TOMORROW!!

TTFN